Kano: How English Premier League is changing lives

Sulaiman Kawu, 30, was one of the first in the city of Kano, Nigeria to see the rising popularity of the British game as a goldmine that could open doors of opportunities and break the poverty cycle, that has enveloped his family since the passing of his father and the family’s bread winner in 1992.Sulaiman […]

Sulaiman Kawu, 30, was one of the first in the city of Kano, Nigeria to see the rising popularity of the British game as a goldmine that could open doors of opportunities and break the poverty cycle, that has enveloped his family since the passing of his father and the family’s bread winner in 1992.Sulaiman founded Kawu Viewing Centre, in 2002. It is where live EPL, other European and International football matches are  watched by hundreds who can’t afford to subscribe to South Africa’s DSTV or Aljazeera Sports Channels, whose price packages are out of the reach of the millions of poor people that are struggling to feed, but who  have an ardent affection for the game of football, especially the EPL.
On the day the League resumed for the 2014/2015 football season,I  spent my whole day at Kawu viewing Centre to experience what it’s really like for many fans that have  developed  deep ties with a game that  occurs nearly 3,000 miles away from home. In the Centre, one could watch his favourite club’s match for N50, and for those who prefer all the action on a Super Saturday (3 to 4 matches) N150 will be all that will be collected by Zaharadeen (Kawu’s gate fee collector)
Sulaiman, who also serves as the Secretary of the Football viewing Centres association, Kano State Chapter, has nothing but praise for the English game and European Football, which he says has changed his life tremendously “I’ve always loved football as far as I could remember. When we were young, we used to play on the streets every time, but the game was full of pauses due to the passage of cars or motorcycles. Our elder brothers monopolised the field, so we were left with the streets, where we use stones to make the goal posts,” he recalls with a smile.
“When I started this business in 2002,I couldn’t afford a place like this. So I rented a room that could only accommodate 30 people for a match.But by the grace of the Almighty, I kept saving and each year that passes, the EPL increased in popularity. My father’s friend who was the former owner of this place, saw a future in the business and offered me this place in 2005, with an agreement that I’ll be paying him N15,000 every month(which was sometimes not possible due to the fluctuations in earnings)till I pay up to fully own the place. I paid up at the end of last season, so the place is fully mine now, and when I die my child will inherit it,” he added with immense pride at his achievement.
Before I could ask Sulaiman another question, he turned to me and said in an emotion laden voice “paying up to own this place was the biggest challenge I’ve faced, because all I get goes towards my dream of totally owning this plot of land. Not forgetting that when I came to the place I had to spend N350,000 to make roofing, sitting arrangements, add new Television sets to my fleet, and paid DSTV a year’s subscription,” he said, using his white T-shirt to wipe off the sweat from his face.
By this time, Bello Sheka, the sugar cane seller arrived with his wares and after exchanging pleasantries with Sulaiman and the other guys,  he displays the long sticks of sugar cane in his usual spot by the wall. The sugarcane serves as refreshment as the action takes place ,and especially during half time for many of the spectators. Sulaiman teased Bello about seeing him idling away during the Season break, and he responded with a smile.  I asked Sulaiman to elaborate on that and he said “the season break is a time for enjoyment for the football players. We do see pictures of them holidaying with their girlfriends on different islands across the world .But for us it is a nightmare. This is the only business I know, and when the season ends money doesn’t come in. Bello doesn’t sell as much sugarcane as he does during matches. Hajiya Hauwa (owns KABNA patent medicine store opposite the viewing Centre) also sees a huge drop in sales when the football season ends.”
I was curious, so I asked why not use the break to be showing films. He said he was doing that before  by showing Bollywood films during the week, and Kannywood (the local Hausa film industry in Kano) during the weekends. But spectators kept dwindling. As technology becomes more widespread, people preferred to download/share films. Economic factors  meant many couldn’t come daily, so considering one has to buy fuel and maintain the generators it wasn’t worth it, so he only relies on football for business now.

My discussion with Sulaiman took another dimension as we ventured into Family life.He is married with two children, and  lives  in a rented flat with his family “If not for EPL I wouldn’t afford to marry, you know how expensive the whole process is.”
I was curious about the origin and functions of the football viewing Centre association, of which he is a founding member. “The association serves as a regulatory body. As the popularity of the EPL and the UEFA Champions League grew, many people were coming into the business, and were doing many illegal things to make it. These included  illegal transmissions with a cloned smart card, then fixing of lower gate fees since they don’t pay for subscription. We reported many and got them arrested. Many unscrupulous persons were trying to tarnish the image of the business. I alongside 9 other viewing Centre owners acted swiftly,  by coming together to form this association. We  agreed to charge the same prices for tickets, to always use the legal transmission means by paying for subscription to assist each other in terms of need.Just last week, we contributed N3,000 each, towards the surgical operation of a member  who  had a car accident. So we are very concerned with the welfare of our people.We have 207 viewing Centre owners as members at the moment, but some are refusing to join due to ignorance.
Another interesting fact I got from Sulaiman was how a friend of his (another viewing Centre owner) used the fame and money from the business as a pedestal to win the Kano State Assembly elections. “As young and old men troop in to watch football, ultimately the owner gets more popular, and if he’s interested in politics, he has an edge already. I don’t plan on doing that though, I hate politics, “he concluded.
It’s only 20 minutes before kickoff and some loyal Liverpool fans plus others have gathered , just eager to witness the return of the most watched football league, I left Sulaiman to conclude all arrangements  before the commencement of the match ,and I quickly moved to get a vantage position(the Centre has its own directors box)
For someone like Sulaiman, life without the EPL and European Football is unimaginable, I thought to myself as I sat down. This is an all too familiar scene across many African cities.
As I was concluding this piece as if to buttress the whole point of this article,I  got a call from a friend informing me of a wedding that just happened in Lagos, Nigeria, where the groom a Stamford Bridge faithful themed the event “Chelsea wedding” as a symbol of his obsession with the London Club.
As the Premier League secured its status as the world’s  richest football  competition with a remarkable £3.018 billion deal for domestic TV rights for the next three years, an astonishing 70 per cent increase on the current contract, the hope is it will continue to change many lives like that of Sulaiman Kawu.